Victorian Themes from the Rare
Books Room
Even the 1980’s can seem like a
distant part of history to me because I was never alive in that decade. The
past sometimes feels very far away because I have never experienced it beyond
my own lifespan. I often wonder what it would have been like to live in
different time periods. It is interesting to think about, but, of course, I can
never really know. I have found, though, that reading books from other eras is
a wonderful way to bring the past into the present. My experience in the Rare
Books room has strengthened this understanding.
I was thrilled to be able to look through the original copies of
Victorian periodicals. The pieces I found in All the Year Round and Household
Words helped me to learn more about who the Victorians were.
First, I looked at a story called
“Happy as a Princess” in Volume V of All
the Year Round. The book itself was covered partly in dark brown leather
and partly in a print that was similar to animal print. The story begins by
highlighting the benefits of the life of a princess. It is a highly idealistic
portrait of royalty. It says, “Who would not be a princess, to live always on
cakes, and fruits, and bonbons…to be married to a young king, as beautiful as
Love, and as amiable as he is beautiful? ‘As happy as a princess!’ What female
imagination can go beyond that?” The story goes on to detail the miserable life
a princess named Charlotte. The ending is far bleaker than the beginning. It
argues that royalty appear happy to the public, but their lives are just as
difficult as those of ordinary people. It closes with, “’Happy as a
princess?—Happy as a victim; free as a captive; cherished as an enemy. These
were the conditions of Princess Charlotte’s life.” I noticed that this story is
a good example of the realism of the Victorians. It would have appealed to the
middle-class readership of this periodical because it showed common people that
they should not envy those who appear to have better lives.
In Household Words Volume XV, I came across an article called “Manners
Made to Order.” Many people probably that that the Victorian standards of
manners are silly and arbitrary. However, reading this article made me very
impressed with the Victorians’ good sense, wit, and balanced approach to
examining different ideas. I was surprised to see that even some Victorians
said, “Chivalry is dead.” The article criticizes those who think “that all
which has gone before, is better than all which actually exists.” The writer accepts that manners change over
time, and wishes to avoid the rigidity of those who want to set “laws of
politeness” in stone. However, the opposite extreme of laxity is also rejected.
The article satirically looks at an American etiquette book, which some English
people appear to find quite strict. The article says, “When this severity
reaches the climax of forbidding ladies the satisfaction of picking their
teeth…it is time to protest against a primness worthy of the age of the
Fourteenth Louis.” The article suggests that even though manners can change
over time, there are some concepts which must be kept in place. The writer has
a very creative way of showing the downsides to both extremes of opinion
concerning manners.
Overall, I found in the Rare Books
room an interesting way of understanding the past. This is something of great
value to me, for I do not want to live in a vacuum, looking only to the present
day. The Victorians had an insatiable curiosity about the world around them,
which I admire very much. Too many people are complacent, failing to search for
the truth. Reading some Victorian articles caused me to think about certain
ideas in a way that I would not have otherwise. I especially like reading about
etiquette, apparently a matter of some controversy, because it made me feel
like I was jumping into the debate that took place in that age.
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